Wolves prowl again
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Hazel Leinen knew it the second she made contact.
The Waukee Northwest junior deposited a clutch go-ahead home run into the centerfield bleachers and the top-seeded Wolves were on their way to a second consecutive Class 5A state championship with a 3-1 victory over CIML rival Ankeny Centennial on a misty Friday night at Rogers Sports Complex.
Leinen snapped a 1-1 tie with her one-out, sixth-inning no-doubter - a long ball that sent the Northwest faithful into a frenzy. Ace pitcher Sophia Schlader did the rest, completing her two-hitter by retiring the side in the seventh to seal the dramatic victory and a title repeat for the Wolves (40-4 overall).
Leinen has been a productive contributor in the Northwest lineup, but isn't prone to hitting homers. In fact, during her three-year varsity career, Leinen had only gone deep one other time in over 400 plate appearances.
"It felt so good off my bat," Leinen smiled. "Just amazing. I can't even explain or describe it."
Schlader, widely considered to be the No. 1 overall prospect nationally in the Class of 2028, struck out nine and capped another remarkable campaign in the circle with a second straight title. She was more excited about Leinen's blast than her own achievements afterward, though.
"I'm just so happy for Hazel," Schlader said. "She totally deserves that moment. She works really hard and is such a good, tough hitter."
Second-seeded Centennial (41-4) struck early against Schlader, plating a run in the first inning on an RBI single by standout University of Minnesota recruit Jordyn Kennedy. The Jaguars were able to muster very little from that point on against the elite right-hander, though.
Still, Centennial's Lauren Sandholm virtually matched Schlader pitch-for-pitch in a steady drizzle. Before Leinen's homer, the Wolves had only managed to plate a single run themselves - in the third on an Alayna Schulte RBI single.
The sixth inning saw plenty of action. The Jaguars used a leadoff walk and a passed ball to put a runner at second base with no one out, and after Kennedy lined out, Schlader intentionally walked Mady Ott. A pinch-hit groundout by Lauren Bartine put runners at second and third with two gone, but Delaney Wyble harmlessly flew out to second base.
A leadoff single past Kennedy at third in the bottom of the frame by Schulte was followed by a towering fly ball out from Kenley Sanger. That set the stage for Leinen.
Schlader finished 29-0 this year with 301 strikeouts and an earned run average of 0.70. She is now a combined 59-1 the last two seasons and 79-7 for her three-year varsity career with two more still to come for the Wolves. Schlader has racked up 833 strikeouts.
"I'm obviously proud of these girls. They've put in a lot of time and effort to get to this point," Northwest head coach Carrie Eby said. "It was fun to see them come through. We knew it was going to be a battle; Centennial is a really good team.
"Hazel works her tail off. That was a clutch at-bat in a huge moment, and we're so happy for her."
As for the post-tournament celebration, Eby admitted, "the bus ride (back to Waukee) will get pretty crazy."
"A lot of singing. A lot of dancing," Eby said. "The kids will have fun and enjoy it. They've earned this."
WAUKEE NORTHWEST 3, ANKENY CENTENNIAL 1
Centennial 100 000 0 - 1 2 0
Waukee NW 001 002 x - 3 6 0
WP-Sophia Schlader (29-0; 7 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 9 K); LP-Lauren Sandholm (14-1; 5.1 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 4 K). 2B-AC: Leela Appeldorn. HR-WNW: Hazel Leinen.